273sunsetZ

Still having trouble getting the coolant temps down, and i've heard mixed reviews on how hot these things should get with a front mount setup, so what is the typical range and when should i absolutely stop driving it?

Its still stock radiator and VDO pusher fans; when I drove it after the fan install i let it warm up on idle and it got to 208* and slowly crept up to 212* cruising around, as soon as i got into the pedal a couple times the temp climbed to 225* at which point I pulled over and let it cool.

I still need to install the deflector under the nose that directs the air to the radiator, completely forgot to do this, also have to put the turbo blanket on that just came in, and i'll probably end up putting the fans on the turbo side and making them puller. Problem is the car is now 200 miles away from me getting finished by a friend for lsfest, should i go ahead and order a dual pass radiator or hope the above is the fix?

tripblackls1

iTrader: (11)

im looking at a stock tune file right now
fan 1 on temp is 226
fan 2 on temp is 234
so i prefer myself not be out beating on the car if its over 200 but it looks like if your stuck in traffic or something you should be ok till 235 or at least the factory thinks so

273sunsetZ

I also have a 160* stat in it, and have both fans turning on when the temps get to 181* if I'm not mistaken.

Fbodyjunkie06

iTrader: (10)

You sure trip black?

Not saying the stock fans don't turn on at that, but my car for instance...fans cut on around 170 and 180. My car cruising will never be over 180. In heavy heavy stop and go I've never seen it go over 190-200. Even hot lapping it at the track it won't go over 200. I do have a vertical griffin

ZTwentyAteU

iTrader: (12)

Stock is 226 low 234 hi for fans. Of course lots of turbo heat right by the radiator is kinda gona heat it up more, especially in boost. Honestly I think 200-15 is a good range, but 230 is a little hot. Factory settings arent for a front mount turbo car either haha.

I say we put the deflector on, put blanket on, and heat wrap the hotside pipes since the manis are already wrapped, and I dont see why itd get hot anymore. Troys hotside is wrapped and no blanket and it runs in the 215 range hot

tripblackls1

iTrader: (11)

im just saying in a worse case scenario, like your stuck in traffic
i would definitely not be going wot or making passes at anything above 200

Fbodyjunkie06

iTrader: (10)

Yea I wouldn't either. Are both you guy's hotsides wrapped and do you have a turbo blanket on your hotside?

My manifolds, primaries, and crossovers are all wrapped along with having a turbo blanket on my hotside. I'm sure that helps a lot.

KingOfCold

iTrader: (5)

Mine ran hot even with a wrapped hot side and blanket until i found that i had air trapped in the cooling system...

Sweet_SS

I am in the same boat as you. My temps were 230* on the dyno...too hot for my taste. Like you, I have a 160* t-stat, so my only suggestion is swapping out your fan(s). I know I will be this winter.

tripblackls1

iTrader: (11)

i have a vertical griffin as well
everything on mine is turbox coated and dei titanium wrapped and i have their titanium turbo blanket
mine gets to about 220 when im stuck in traffic (stop and go around town) on hot days but it also gets 110+ outside where i live
im looking to get a better pusher fan to take care of that, i have a cheapy right now and im sure thats the problem
my car normally says around 180 otherwise, even when doing long roll races on the fwy or canyon runs

JAX04

iTrader: (17)

This is interesting, i was starting to freak out just a touch if mine ever got up to 205.

Seems now that ive got my air out real good, turbo up front, i cruise 195-197 no matter what the temp is outside. Hard runs stop and go, ive seen it go up to 201 never been higher then that and i like it that way. Also, this is on a stock thermostat.

I had better luck with controlling temp with the stock stat then i did with the 160 with this motor. The ls1 liked it the other way.

This is with a griffen rad, and iron block.

TracyRR

iTrader: (8)

I try not to blast it when the engine temps are over 225 but i am almost always over 200 on the streets during summer months so blasting at 200 - 220 is not an issue at all for my taste. Zero KR! Running an iron block also.

Sweet_SS

Not to , but what is your temp gauge (stock) reading? I've noticed that mine does not move above 210*....stays right below that, even if the car is around 220-230* WTF? Do these gauges not work for crap?

Cam72aro

iTrader: (28)

The stock gauge is a dummy gauge and won't move up till it sees a temperature for a long period of time. I was reading 235 on hp tuners and the gauge was at 200. Then after about 5 minutes it moved up a little. If anyone in this thread is not using a scan tool to read the temperature then their analysis is wrong. If they are going by the stock in dash gauge then you can throw out what they are saying. I also think a 160 stat is a mistake. I have experimented and would stay with a stock 187 stat. A 160 opens early and stays open all the time. The radiator cannot keep the car at that temperature. I would run a stock 187. It will open and close when needed where a 160 just opens and thats it. I didn't catch what trans was in the car, but if its a 3 speed the car will run hotter too because of the rpms that the car is seeing. I learned this with my old camaro with a th350 and my ta with a th400. I am doing an 80 swap not to get the cruising rpm's down. It makes for a happier motor.

Sweet_SS

Maybe I should have stayed with the stock t-stay. But I have a built 4l60E with a Yank stall. I try to keep the car around town @ 1500rpms or below...permitting MPH that is. Like everyone else, I try to keep the car at reasonable speeds in the heat. Doesn't matter, the IAT's are through the roof anyways

slow67

iTrader: (2)

It is a well known issue that the 2000-2002 cars temp gauges only have 5 positions. Nothing in between.

Sweet_SS

I am going to assume that everyone...close to it, is running aftermarket temp gauges? 273SunsetZ sorry for

eviltwin_1987

iTrader: (18)

Both my vehicles would consistently run in the 220* range and 230*+ in traffic. They had high dollar fans on them(2 pullers each). Switched both of them over to shrouded dual fans and now I see 180* cruising and never over 199* in traffic on a 99* day. They both have completely wrapped hot sides, turbo blankets and a 3" intercooler covering the whole radiator.

Fbodyjunkie06

iTrader: (10)

Damn time for more gauges, I'm using stock gauge for water temp. Even then I still haven't ever seen my needle get vertical on the gauge(12'o clock) it is either at 160 or 180 (10-11 posistion).

Now where in the hell am I going to mount this thing

273sunsetZ

Thanks for all the input.

I'm running a th350 so the rpm's are up there, but even just cruising around under 3k it got hot. Atleast i'm not the only one, looks like i need to look into a stock stat and i'll definitly be swithching the pushers to pullers on the opposite side, I think this will help keep alot of the heat coming from the engine away from the radiator and help the airflow while driving down the street. Since they're low profile they should fit if i move the radiator up next to the core support, I guess we'll see. If I have to end up cutting the core support out to make room this weekend then we'll just have to make it happen.

I have a tuning laptop that stays in the car for data logging at all times while driving with this setup, I never would have known their was an issue otherwise; temp gauge stays below 210 the whole time.